Write a Letter! And 6 More Satisfying Things to Do This Weekend
Ready for a refresh? Savor some citrus, clean your wood floors, kick off your shoes or roll out the yoga mat
Laura Gaskill
January 30, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
It’s the first week of February, time to flip to a fresh page on the calendar, do a little freshening up around the house and find out whether one furry groundhog sees his shadow. Make the most of your weekend by checking a few cleaning and organizing tasks off your list, then make time for a simple pleasure like planting a pot of paperwhite bulbs or writing a pen-and-paper letter to an old friend. So whether Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring or six more weeks of winter, you’ll have what you need to enjoy your cozy home.
1. Decorate with winter citrus (and eat some, of course). Tangerines, Meyer lemons, kumquats and blood oranges make tasty treats and fresh, bursting-with-color natural decor.
Fill a bowl, cake plate or platter with the seasonal citrus of your choice, and voila — decorating done.
How You Can Rejuvenate Your Citrus Trees This Winter
Fill a bowl, cake plate or platter with the seasonal citrus of your choice, and voila — decorating done.
How You Can Rejuvenate Your Citrus Trees This Winter
2. Make hardwood floors shine. Between the road salt, soggy boots and general muck, winter is tough on floors. Get them gleaming at the start of the weekend so you can savor the shine. Vacuum well, then follow up with a damp mop using a gentle cleaner appropriate for your floor’s finish.
How to Clean Your Hardwood Floors
How to Clean Your Hardwood Floors
3. Plant paperwhite bulbs. Didn’t get to the bulb planting you had planned before the holidays? There’s still time. Scoop up some paperwhite bulbs at a nursery or home improvement store and get planting. All you need is a container (even a recycled glass jar will work) and a handful of stones to fill the bottom few inches of it.
Treat Yourself to Spring Blooms in Winter
Treat Yourself to Spring Blooms in Winter
4. Roll out a yoga mat. When the weather is too frightful to face a trek to the gym or yoga studio, it’s nice to have a corner where you can unroll a mat and practice at home.
Upgrade your home workout space with a full-length mirror, fresh towels and a carafe of spa water.
Room of the Day: What’s Behind the Mirror?
Upgrade your home workout space with a full-length mirror, fresh towels and a carafe of spa water.
Room of the Day: What’s Behind the Mirror?
5. Try a shoes-off policy on for size. Keep some cozy slippers in a basket near the door to encourage going shoeless. It will keep your floors cleaner and in better shape, and it’s more comfy.
Make it easier on family and guests by providing a bench to sit on and a clear spot to store shoes.
Simple Pleasures: Put On Your Slippers
Make it easier on family and guests by providing a bench to sit on and a clear spot to store shoes.
Simple Pleasures: Put On Your Slippers
6. Give your fridge a fresh start. Clean out the refrigerator before hitting the grocery store, and toss expired products and unloved condiments.
If you want to get extra organized, spring for a set of bins to keep fresh ingredients neat and tidy on fridge shelves. You’ll start the new week inspired to use all of that beautiful produce.
Chaos-Free Zone: How to Keep the Fridge Organized
If you want to get extra organized, spring for a set of bins to keep fresh ingredients neat and tidy on fridge shelves. You’ll start the new week inspired to use all of that beautiful produce.
Chaos-Free Zone: How to Keep the Fridge Organized
7. Write a letter or send a card. When was the last time you mailed an actual pen-and-paper note? If you can’t remember, make this the weekend you get back in the habit.
Send a Valentine’s Day card to an older relative with a personal note, write a letter to an old friend or send a thank-you note to the last people who had you over for dinner.
Find wall-mounted desks
Tell us: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
Send a Valentine’s Day card to an older relative with a personal note, write a letter to an old friend or send a thank-you note to the last people who had you over for dinner.
Find wall-mounted desks
Tell us: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
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A fabulous resource for letter writing is www.cardeblanche.com. They also have a subscription service that is amazing! As a daily letter/note writer, I could not survive without them. And I've recently added a 1960's Smith-Corona to my letter-writing desk!
I send personal handwritten thank you's to my clients. Having nice, personalized post cards in my desk makes it easier to send a short note. I am always impressed by anything handwritten since it takes more time. I'm sure someone in your life would love a sincere note from you.
All I can say is all those bins in a fridge in #6 take up a heck of a lot of space. And as for #7 - write only to an older person? Why not have some fun and write a neat letter to a younger person, too. Freak 'em out! I bet some don't even know what a letter is let alone ever received one. Even birthday cards some via hi-tech! LOL